New Delhi: Airports across India have become scenes of frustration and confusion as IndiGo’s flight network struggles under an unprecedented operational crunch. Passengers have faced long queues, repeated delays, and cancellations, with the airline’s troubles entering a fourth consecutive day. Over the past four days, more than 1,000 flights have been scrapped, impacting major hubs like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
The Anatomy of the Crisis
IndiGo has attributed the chaos to “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” citing minor technical glitches, winter schedule adjustments, airport congestion, and weather. Yet industry insiders point to a key structural cause: the newly enforced Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), designed to reduce pilot fatigue.
Though introduced in January 2024, these rules were not rigorously applied until recently. They impose stricter restrictions on crew duty and rest, including:
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48 hours of weekly rest for pilots (up from 36 hours)
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Extended night duty windows (00:00–06:00)
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Limiting night landings to two per week per pilot
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8-hour cap on night flying
When IndiGo ramped up flight frequencies for its winter schedule on October 26, a significant portion of its pilots became unavailable due to mandatory rest. The problem worsened when an Airbus A320 software advisory delayed flights past midnight, creating cascading cancellations as crew rest requirements kicked in.
Scale: IndiGo’s Double-Edged Sword
Operating over 2,200 daily flights, even small disruptions ripple across the network. Analysts note that a 10% operational setback translates into 200–400 flights affected and thousands of passengers stranded. On Friday alone, Delhi saw 135 departures and 90 arrivals cancelled, Bengaluru recorded over 100 combined cancellations, and Hyderabad logged 92 scrapped flights.
DGCA Steps In
In response to mounting pressure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) relaxed a critical provision of the FDTL rules on Friday. The clause, which barred airlines from counting crew leave as weekly rest, was immediately withdrawn. This regulatory adjustment gives airlines, especially IndiGo, additional flexibility to roster crews and restore operations.
Pilot Unions Point Finger at Management
Pilot associations argue that IndiGo’s mismanagement exacerbated the crisis:
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Prolonged hiring freezes despite upcoming rule changes
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Lean manpower policies aimed at cost-cutting
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Pay freezes and non-poaching agreements
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Inadequate schedule planning under new FDTL norms
The Federation of Indian Pilots claims other airlines were better prepared and largely unaffected, while some experts suggest the chaos may have been leveraged to pressurize regulators for FDTL relaxations—though pilots warn safety must not be compromised.
Passenger Plight
For travellers, the disruption has been unrelenting. Stranded passengers report 12-hour waits without accommodation or food, and some overnighted at airports only to face cancellations. IndiGo’s on-time performance dropped to a mere 19.7% on Wednesday, highlighting the severity of the breakdown.
Looking Ahead
IndiGo has indicated that it will need time until February 10, 2026, to fully stabilize operations. It has begun temporarily reducing flights in the coming days to prevent further disruptions and urged passengers to check flight statuses, carry essentials, and opt for flexible bookings.
The crisis underscores a hard truth for IndiGo: its high-frequency, low-cost operational model clashes with stricter fatigue management norms unless staffing scales proportionately. Until then, passengers and airports continue to bear the brunt, while India’s largest airline navigates its most formidable operational challenge in two decades.
